The cast ‘ Game of Thrones ‘ defends the final season at Comic-Con

The Game of Thrones cast jumped in front of a boisterous crowd at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday to defend its much-maligned final season, blaming the backlash on adverse press coverage.

The conclusion of the HBO fantasy epic irritated fans around the globe and organizers of the pop culture conference had to remind the audience before the retrospective panel to make the cast feel welcome.

While the cast received a rapturous reception, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who played Jaime Lannister was booed after describing the death of his character in the arms of his sister and lover Cersei as ideal.

The panel in the cavernous Hall H of the convention center was listed as the first public outing of the show creators following the backlash. But showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss silently withdrew previously in the week along with two cast members.

The atmosphere rapidly lightened as cast members joked about the set’s stealing props.

Hempstead Wright said he finished with a wooden spoon, while Maisie Williams, who played Arya Stark, lowered the board to giggles after admitting to stealing fake blood from one scene and leaving it on the bathroom floor of her dressing room.